Ukrainians Honor Ritter For Supporting Freedom

U.S. Rep. Don Ritter was awarded the Shevchenko Freedom Award yesterday at the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America national convention banquet in East Hanover, N.J.

The Lehigh Valley Branch of the UCCA nominated Ritter, R-15th District, for the award. Ritter was honored for his longstanding commitment to the cause of Ukrainian freedom, according to John Stasiw, secretary of the Lehigh branch.

The group pointed out that for more than a decade Ritter has consistently challenged the former Soviet government to adhere to its human rights obligations under the 1975 Helsinki Accords.

The award was accepted on Ritter's behalf by a delegation of Lehigh Valley Ukrainian-Americans headed by Anna Haras of Bethlehem, president of the Lehigh branch.

This is the second time that Ritter has been honored by the Ukrainian-American community. In 1990, he received the National Ukrainian Man of the Year award in Chicago.

Other recipients of the award this year are former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Sens. Dennis DeConcini, D-Ariz., and Alfonse D'Amato, R-N.Y., and the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Roman Popadiuk.